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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Paul do with his secret?

2. How does Paul feel at the end of Part 2?

3. What letter is stenciled on the brick wall in the background?

4. What word does Paul use to describe the progress of his secret?

5. What causes Paul to think about his secret?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Silent Snow, Secret Snow's ending similar to its beginning, and why does the story end the way it does?

2. What is noticeably different in the tone and pace of Part 4?

3. What does Paul begin to wonder about as he stands in front of his house?

4. What are some of the descriptions Paul uses to explain how important his secret is in Part 1?

5. What is it that the snow informs Paul he will see, and why?

6. How does Part 3 end, and what is the new sound that Paul hears?

7. How does Paul feel about his parents in Part 1 in relation to his secret?

8. How does Paul describe the sidewalk?

9. Where is the snow when Paul first sees it during the examination?

10. What does Paul's mother symbolize at the end of the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Aiken uses a number of literary techniques to deliver the messages in the story.

1) Describe and analyze three examples of symbolism in the story and their effects on it.

2) Describe and analyze three examples of foreshadowing in the story and their effects on it.

3) Describe and analyze the use of flashbacks in the story and why it was effective.

Essay Topic 2

Aiken keeps the reader's attention through flowing lines and poetic descriptions. Analyze his writing style, including examples of its effectiveness and why it works so well with this particular story. Also, describe how the style changes with the tone and pace of the story.

Essay Topic 3

The doctor's examination is a crucial turning point in the story, and for Paul.

1) Describe the doctor's personality and characteristics. How do they add to his ability to evaluate Paul accurately?

2) Describe Paul's interpretation of the doctor and his actions. How does he view himself in comparison to the doctor? Why?

3) What is the major discovery that the doctor makes about Paul? How does he make it? Why does the author choose this character to make it, and how is it important to the story?

(see the answer keys)

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